Vegan “Cheese” Sauce

Creamy dairy-free vegan cheese sauce made with only 4 basic ingredients. This nutritious mock cheese sauce is perfect for using on pasta, vegetables, risotto, baked potatoes, and more!

I did a thing.

I made us dairy-free cheese sauce. What in the world are we going to do with a dairy-free vegan cheese sauce, you ask?

What aren’t we going to do with dairy-free cheese sauce is my response.

My vision for making this recipe was to provide an asset for those times you’re craving macaroni and cheese, but want to keep it reasonably healthful, and/or a delicious sauce for pairing with steamed or roasted vegetables. Ever get a hankering for a broccoli-cheddar situation? This is the sauce to make that happen.

In essence, this sauce is perfect for those who love rich and creamy flavors but follow either a dairy-free, vegan, or paleo diet (or simply those who like to limit their dairy intake and prefer sticking with plant-based whole foods).

Features:

Dairy-Free, vegan, paleo, plant-based, whole food

Quick, easy, and straight-forward to prepare

Small boost of plant-based protein

Rich and creamy while being healthful

Mouth-wateringly delicious and versatile

So, what four ingredients are we using to prepare this sauce? Cashews, tahini, nutritional yeast, and cider vinegar. The combination of ingredients yields a super creamy sauce, with cheesy flavor and just the right amount of tang.

How to Make Vegan Cheese Sauce

Start by soaking raw cashews in water. You’ll want to soak the cashews for a minimum of three hours, but you can also do this overnight.

Once cashews are soaked, transfer them to a high-powered blender along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend on high for 1 minute, or until the sauce is nice and creamy.

You can use this sauce in both hot and cold applications, but my favorite is serving it warm on hot foods.

Recipe Adaptations:

If you’re a garlic lover, add 1 large clove of garlic for added flavor, or ½ tsp garlic powder.

You can replace the tahini with sunflower seed butter if you prefer. I wouldn’t recommend replacing the tahini with almond butter or peanut butter unless you’re willing to change the flavor substantially.

Add a chipotle chili to make this a spicy cheese sauce.

If you like “sour cream and onion” flavor, add 3 chives or 1 green onion.

I’ll be posting a recipe soon that showcases this delicious sauce…stay tuned!

Ingredients

Instructions

Place cashews in bowl and cover with 2 inches of water. Soak 3 hours or overnight. Drain cashews.

Add all ingredients, including soaked cashews, to a high-powered blender. Blend on high for 1 minute or until sauce is completely smooth. Taste for flavor and add more sea salt, cider vinegar, or 1/2 tsp garlic powder.

Either use immediately or store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. The sauce stays fresh for up to 10 days. Note: Sauce will thicken in the refrigerator, so stir well before using.